The Illiterate
by BuBuWinter
Summary: Scarlet was born into the notorious criminal clan ran by Pops O'Leary. Despite her natural thieving ability, she remains disrespected by her leader for her hybrid genes and hot temper. One decision may make her realize that just because your related doesn't mean you have a family. (Title/summary will likely change. Rating may go up. Chapter 1 rewritten.)
1. Chapter 1: The Hunt

_**AN: Rewritten chapter 1, which is hopefully a bit better. I wanted to better establish characters before proceeding onto chapter two. Anyhow, enjoy!**_

* * *

_**CHAPTER 1**_

**The Hunt**

There was a tantalizing aroma hanging in the night air, powerful enough to rid the gaseous stench of the air balloon she had previously occupied. It was warm too, juicy, a smell so delicious it made drool drip from her overhanging canine tooth. She was getting close then. Very close. Her quarry was just around the corner, at the Butcher's Palace, a two-story brick-worked piece of magnificent architecture filled with decadent meats of all sorts, both raw and cooked. It was sure to appease the varying tastes of the Family. She licked her lips expectantly.

So far, the hunt was going smoothly, as dinner patrols often did when the cops were too busy stuffing their faces with over-the-top meals to deal with the "petty O'Leary gang". It was a simple three-cat operation: one to lead the hunt, the getaway, and the assistant. As a sort of assessment, thirteen-year-old Scarlet was put in charge this time. She called the shots. If the patrol failed and the operation collapsed, she would be the one blamed. If Pops did not approve of the prey brought home, he'd blame Scarlet. And if she were blamed in either case, she would be brought back down to Runner, a slave to those older than her, which was - in fact - everyone.

She wasn't about to let that happen.

"Remember, Hybrid," Crow, the acting assistant and her assessor, stood close to her side, his breath trickling down the bare parts of her neck. "This patrol means everything. If ya do well enough, ya'll be saved. If ya fail, it'll break ya."

Scarlet nodded to the older cat, unable to make any other kind of response as their prey came into sight. Luckily, though predictably, there was no one in sight, many of the yellow-bellied dogs out eating at a fancy restaurant or dancing in some odd ball room. A few cops loomed farther down the street, but with their poor eyesight they were too far away to see the black-cloaked thieves. In front of them was the Butcher's Palace.

Scarlet pointed two fingers towards the ground floor, and flicked them upwards toward a second story window. Crow raised an eyebrow, though he didn't question the act of pillaging two floors verbally; he didn't have the right. She jabbed her thumb towards the right side of the complex. A nod, a silent agreement to the choice of the getaway meeting place. With a snap of her clawed fingers, the two cats moved on, fast as lightning, with Crow using his agility and strength to scale the wall towards the previously indicated second floor window and Scarlet using her lockpicks to enter through the front door. Silently, skillfully, she was inside within seconds.

The bottom floor contained most of the cooked meats, concealed in the room behind the main counter. It was where most of the warm scents she'd detected came from, and it appealed to both the cat side of her and the human side. Quickly, the hybrid leapt over the counter-top with ease and - cloth sack in hand - she opened the door to the back room and immediately started shoving delicious food into her pack

After a short time, her sack was filled with mouthwatering grub, so much so it threatened to unbalance her and send her crashing to the floor. Noise from upstairs caught her attention, and soon Crow came into sight, his strong arms carrying two sacks of raw meat. He flung both over one shoulder, nodding curtly to Scarlet. She lead the way to a locked window and - handing the sack to Crow - opened it with practiced ease. When they both crept through and reached the outside, the getaway - Scourge - was waiting, his fluffy white face visible from down the street. He had a large wooden wagon behind him and was tapping his foot impatiently against the stone-worked road, obviously upset to have been put on getaway duty.

Now out of the shop, both Crow and Scarlet bolted toward the wagon, throwing their prey into the wagon and covering it with a thick, tattered green blanket. Without blinking an eye, they pulled down their hoods and unmasked their faces. Now, they looked just like any other law-abiding cat citizen.

"Not bad, Scar," Scourge purred warmly, his long tail flicking her shoulder. "Only a few seconds off from ya set time." Scarlet smirked, punching him lightly on the arm in a playful gesture, pointed, fur-tufted human ears twitching and silver-colored eyes glimmering with suppressed laughter.

"Better than you on your first lead hunt!" The response she received came not from her friend, but from Crow, and his response was to cuff her over the head with a massive grey paw.

"Remember kittens," the grumpy cat snarled, "we don't talk 'bout hunting when on the streets. Some stray puppy might hear us, then we'll be sent to the Cage." He glared pointedly at Scourge. "You wouldn't want to be sent there again, now would you?"

"Oh c'mon, Crow! Ya know there aren't any puppies 'round here this time of night. They're too busy stuffin' their maws!" The white tomcat waved his paw dismissively, a cheeky grin plastered on his face as he winked at Scarlet. While the younger she-cat was tempted to agree, she kept her jaws clamped shut. What Crow had said was true; if there _were _any puppies around and they heard them, the operation would most definitely be a failure, and that was a risk she couldn't take, not now.

The elder tom seemed to have the same thought as he didn't respond to Scourge, instead grabbing the handles of the wagon and beginning to steer it towards the O'Leary hideout, his gray face as glum and expressionless as ever. Scourge smirked and winked at Scarlet before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and following the elder tom.

"Scourge?" Scarlet asked quietly as she wrapped an arm around his waist. He looked down inquisitively at the younger girl.

"Yeah Scar?"

"What's the Cage like?" She had heard stories of prison of course, as every member of the O'Leary member has been there, either imitating as guests or serving their own time. They were never descriptive with their stories though, never imaginative. It might have been his youth, being the second youngest O'Leary at the age of sixteen, but Scourge's stories always had the ability to make even a single grain of sand look like the most interesting and beautiful thing in the world.

Scourge tapped a long claw against his chin in a nonchalant act of thought. "Well my dear Scarlet, it's just as the stories say it is. It's like a heap o' dung with a side of stale bread." He looked at Scarlet through sparkling amber eyes, all play and mischief as Scarlet narrowed her eyes, her lips pulled back in a playful snarl. She jabbed her elbow lightly into his rib-cage. Scourge purred before looking back at the street, particularly at Crow's decidedly too-broad back as it started to shrink in the distance.

"Well, dear, there's a lot o' metal, bars which barricade the way to freedom, with whatever light that is around interrupted. Never solid. All tiny lil' streams of sparkling yellow-white shine. There ain't no bed, just cold, flat steel, but we Family folk are used to that, now aren't we? And the food ain't that good, but that don't matter to us 'long as we get some meat. Them puppies know that. It's why we ain't there too long. The real menace o' the Cage though, the reason why big boys like Crow hate it so much…" He stared up at the sky, eyes reflecting the moon and stars, "is the barricade from freedom. Yes, Scar, it's them bars that make the cage a place ya don't want to be."

Scarlet stared intently at the ground as the two friends walked down the street, her mind already having imagined up the cage, what it was like to be holed up in a single place, a place where to do your own thing was a thing of memory. A shiver coursed through her body. _Cats are meant ta be free…_

"Kitties!" Crow's loud, booming voice shook both of them from their thoughts, Scarlet from her imagination and Scourge from his memories. "Get your lazy-hide tail-ends up here 'fore I stuff _you _in the wagon!" The two exchanged an amused glance, used to the old toms irritable ways, before running to catch up with their superior. At first Scarlet wondered why Crow had called to them with such urgency; he didn't ever feel particularly irritated by his kin lagging behind, not to the point of shouting at them, but as they neared the corner Crow was at she immediately understood. Two police dogs - one a tall, shaggy, skinny grey mutt and the other a fat Beagle - had approached Crow, no doubt interrogating the previously lone cat with a mysteriously covered wagon.

As the two came and stood at Crow's side, Crow turned back to the officers, smiling his signature half-smile, playing off his innocence as good as a newborn kitten. "See, officers? These two are my kittens. We were just returning from a business trip o' mine from Knight's Court. This here," he shoved Scourge up, "is my son, Samson. And this lovely lady," then it was Scarlet, "is me daughter, Emmaline. They were helpin' me load up some stuff."

The two officers exchanged a glance, as if not fully convinced. Finally, the Beagle turned toward Crow. "And just what is it that you have, cat?"

"Clothes, my dear sir." He patted the blanket covering the meat lightly, and to the untrained ear it certainly sounded like it was just a pile of cloth underneath it. Still, the two cops didn't look convinced. When Scarlet thought her chances of success would be shattered by them unveiling their stolen grub, Crow stood at his full length. Despite his old age, the tom was a massive cat, and when he stood with his back straight he was easily a full two heads taller than the skinny grey mutt at 6'11", not to mention _far _more massive in terms of muscular bulk. The officers instinctively took a step back, mud-brown eyes wide.

"Now officers," Crow purred almost threateningly. "I really must get going. The kitties need to eat. Or would you rather take this up to my superior? I'm sure he'll _greatly_ appreciate the trouble ye'll cause 'em."

Fortunately, the mutt dog dipped his head. "Of course, sir. Sorry for troubling you. Have a good night." With that, the two dogs made their way down the road. Scarlet caught them on more than one occasion glancing back at them, or rather her, as if questioning why they didn't bother to question Crow why she was more human than what Scourge was. Scarlet forced herself not to look back at them, instead grabbing onto Crow's meaty arm and walking alongside him down the adjacent road.

Once out of sight of the officers, Crow batted her harshly on the back of the head for the second time that day. Smokey, heather-blue eyes met silver ones. "You're lucky I bailed you out of that one, kitten."

"C'mon Crow, give her a break," Scourge came around and patted Crow's back. "It's her first lead mission. What would she be able ta do wit' them cops?"

"Pull off a pouty face." Despite his anger, he ruffled Scarlet's hair affectionately before proceeding down the street.

* * *

Pops O'Leary sat on top of a crate, going through the pillaged sacks of meat and examining each piece with careful, pale yellow eyes, looking for any flaw, any blemish, anything that might hinder Scarlet's chances of getting promoted as to prevent her from leading more hunts. Sweat visibly glistened on the areas where her pale skin was visible, a sheen which reflected the yellow lamplight around her. Scourge and Crow stood at her sides, with the latter resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Crow, after some amount of time passed, even patted her back a few times, an odd gesture of comfort from him.

Finally, Pops looked up. "This won't do."

Scarlet's jaw dropped open. "_What?" _

"You heard me, hybrid."

"But...but _why?_" He hadn't even asked Crow how she did on the hunt! Pops jumped down from the crate he sat on, striding over and glaring down at her.

"You're too young to be ranked up, girl." _Too young… _the words hardly seemed to process in her mind. _Too young...Too young!_

"So why'd'ya send me anyways if I'm too damn young?" Her vision blurred with her rage, and she grew deaf to any response she might have received as her blood roared in her ears. She swung a fisted hand at Pop's muzzle, her claws partially digging into her own flesh, blood pooling at the small puncture marks. She was oblivious to the pain, only aware of the fury that clung to her pelt like moss to rock, a fury in which she often confided in when things that were so perfect - oh so perfect - were denied her. Before her fist could meet its target, however, two strong arms wrapped around her stomach and waist, easily lifting her off the ground. She kicked wildly, her feet connecting with walls and crates as she was carried out of Pop's "office".

Crow dumped the struggling body outside, glaring down at her with sharp eyes alight with warning before he proceeded back into warehouse. A moment later, Scourge came out, leaning up against a crate with his arms crossed. He waited a few moments, amber eyes watching as Scarlet gradually, ever so gradually, began to calm down, though a flare of hatred remained in those silver-gray eyes of hers.

"Don't think that helped ya, doll." He said after a few moments. Scarlet glared at him, getting to her feet, but said nothing in reply as she jumped up onto a large crate to stare out at the cityscape below. Scourge, after a moment of hesitance, leapt up to join her. The lights were dazzling arrays of yellows and oranges, reflecting off puddles from the rainfall that occurred the previous night.

"Damn Pops is a fool." Scarlet snarled, eyes narrowed into a glare. Scourge wrapped an arm around her shoulders for a brief moment, claws running through patchy black fur before he removed his paw.

"I know, Scar, but not much ya can do 'bout it, n' I'm sure your outburst didn't help at all." Upon her crestfallen look Scourge added, "I'm sure Crow will vouch for ya and get things straight. He always does."

"With everythin' _but _Pops."

"C'mon Scar…" Scourge moved in once again to comfort his friend, but she shifted away from his arm before standing up onto the rooftop edge. She glared back at him.

"Face it, Scourge, the hunt was a fail." With that, she leaped off from the rooftop onto another, and Scourge watched with sad amber eyes as she jumped one way and another until her feet connected to the soaked street below.


	2. Chapter 2: Dairy

**AN: *claims this is just a side project, updates before anything else* Ain't that just swell. I'm done giving priorities to my fanfictions. If I work on something, I work on it. If I don't I don't. That's my new philosophy. Yep. Anyhow, enjoy! Review replies will be at the bottom! Also, quick note, chapter one has been revised if you don't catch it on the summary. Constructive criticism appreciated.**

**I do not own Wizard101, though I do own my characters and story. **

_**CHAPTER 2:**_

_**Dairy**_

It wasn't until late into the night did Scarlet return to the main O'Leary hideout. Most should have been asleep - and most were. However, as she walked up to the entrance to the sleeping grounds of the hideout, Dairy - a pretty she-cat with thick cream fur and sparkling green eyes - stood there waiting for her. She looked exhausted, but she didn't go to her bed. Instead she approached Scarlet, a worried look marring her pretty round face. The young hybrid didn't say anything, though stopped in front of her.

"Scarlet, dear," she murmured, resting a soft paw on her shoulder. "You had the clan half-sick with worry over you."

The hybrid shrugged. Dairy took that as an expression of "I highly doubt that" and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Crow almost sent out a patrol to look for you."

"So?" The word was forced out of Scarlet's mouth, and she immediately felt guilty for it as she was very aware of both Dairy and Crow's fondness of her. She leaned gratefully into Dairy's soft fur as the older she-cat guided her to a vacant bed. Scarlet nestled underneath the scratchy blankets, resting her head on the stained, fluffed pillow. Hay needles, which composed the makeshift mattress, poked uncomfortably into her back.

"Did Crow change Pop's mind?" Scarlet asked drowsily. Dairy smiled fondly down at her, running a soft paw through her charge's scraggly black hair. Scarlet frowned, a bitter look encompassing her hate and sadness. "Guessin' no?"

"He did his best, sweetheart." Dairy murmured. Scarlet shrugged, rolling onto her side and avoiding Dairy's calm, caring green eyes. Dairy let out a soft, audible sigh and planted a tender kiss to Scarlet's temple before standing and leaving the room.

* * *

Scarlet didn't much associate with the Family the following day, brooding on some of the higher up rooftops and gazing around at all the hustle and bustle that was Marleybone. She twirled a rock in her fingers, eyes vacant as she tossed it over the edge, not much caring if it struck anyone or landed in some she-dog's fancy hat. No one below bothered to traverse the rooftops as they were ridden with cat criminals, O'Leary or otherwise, so if she did in fact strike a gentledog, she was safe.

Scourge had come up once the sun had reached it's highest peak and the bells of the city started their long, monotonous chimes. He stuffed his hands into his vest pockets, smiling softly down at Scarlet, amber eyes aglow with sympathy.

"Thought I might find ya up here." He said, sitting down beside her, his feet dangling over the edge. Scarlet snorted, tossing another rock to the earth below and avoiding the gaze of her closest friend. Scourge frowned then, averting his gaze to the ground below just as she was.

"It's just not fair." Scarlet muttered at last, throwing one last rock before pulling her knees up to her chest. Scourge quirked an eyebrow in her direction, feigning curiosity even though he knew very well what she was complaining about. "I try n' try n' try, but Pops is never pleased. I'm thinkin' I might just be kept at Runner forever."

Scourge watched her for a moment, unable to come up with a response. He sighed and looked up towards the sun-streaked sky, a rare sight on the city-based world, and briefly reveled in it's warm, natural light. "C'mon Scar. Stay thinkin' like that and you just might get what ya _don't _want."

"I know…" Scarlet followed his gaze up towards the sun, silver eyes sparkling. Suddenly a thought came to mind. "Have you ever been to the other worlds?"

Surprised, the white tom shook his head. "No. Almost no O'Leary's been outside of Marleybone. Why?"

"Do you think I could leave n' go unnoticed?" She shouldn't have been surprised by Scourge's response to that, where he leapt to his feet and stared down at her with wide, shocked, unbelieving eyes, but she was. She flinched away from his gaze and looked down, embarrassed to have expressed such thoughts.

"What in the name of the Titans are you thinkin', Scarlet Raven O'Leary?" he threw his arms about in an almost cartoon-like manner, eyes wild as a cat on catnip. "I know Pops don't like ya, but everyone else does! Crow damn near got himself banned defending you! And what about…" the tom trailed off, scratching his muzzle and closing his eyes, taking a few calming breaths. Silently, Scarlet wondered what he might have said next.

"Just a thought I been havin' Scourge," she murmured soothingly. "Don't get ya tail in a knot."

"I know, it's just…" he sat back down beside her, looking at her through round eyes filled with concern. "How long have ya been thinkin' 'bout it?"

"A while."

Scourge frowned, pulling his legs up to his chest in a mirror position as Scarlet. The two sat there in silence, watching the sun as it inched ever so slowly towards the around the world as time passed and at the people below, gentle and lady-dogs alike. A few of the more experienced clan members were out as well, cloaked and hiding among the crowds, one of which being Dairy, her light form and casual attire easily identifiable among the laughably robust of those around her.

"Dairy wasn't born in the clan, was she?" It had dawned on Scarlet before, with how eloquent and clear Dairy's speech was, but she had never asked much about her. It seemed fitting to do so now. Scourge shook his head.

"No. She was born in Marleybone and spent her younger years in Wizard City, training in Ravenwood as a wizard. She came later, when Crow vouched for her." He let out a rusty purr. "Old tom always sticks out for the better ones."

"Is that all ya know?"

"Why?" Scourge didn't like listening to his friend's questioning of Dairy's past, not in conjunction with her previous statement. "Why do ya want to know?"

"Curiosity."

Scourge snorted and shook his head, ears flat against his round head. "Curiosity killed the cat, Scar." Even so, despite his doubts of her reasoning being just for "curiosity", he spun her one of his fantastical tales that so often drew her into the depths of imagination.

"The way I heard it, the school - Ravenwood - came to Marley ta force some kitties into the 'better life', n' Dairy was one of 'em."

* * *

"_Dairy…" The cream colored she-cat blinked open her eyes, a brilliant, reflective gleam in the ever-present darkness that dominated Marleybone's skies. She looked up in shock as a desperate paw shook her awake. Her sister, Mint, looked down on her with worried pale blue eyes. "The wizards are here." _

_Immediately awake and aware of just what Mint meant, she struggled to her feet and followed her sister out of the alley, pulling her hood over her ears and pulling up a mask to cover her face. Mint glanced back at her before instinctively grabbing her hand and proceeding into the crowds. Cream curled her arm around her sisters, her cream tabby fur blending in with Mint's misty gray one. There was a tenseness in their step as they walked along the streets, as was the case whenever the wizards came. _

_Mint came to a stop, with Dairy following suit. The two thirteen-year-old orphaned sisters watched as one wizard, a tall, menacing man with long ebony hair, stood up to the pedestal, addressing the assembly before him, composed of humans, dogs, and cats alike. Mint and Cream exchanged a glance as his deep voice reverberated throughout the plaza, _

"_Welcome, Marleybone citizens," his voice held a certain boom of authority. "I am Malistaire Drake, Necromancy teacher at the esteemed Ravenwood School for the Magical Arts." There was a chorus of applause. Mint, being the knowledgeable gossip-listener of the two, leaned in closer to Dairy, murmuring into her ear. _

"_The Drakes are an important and legendary trio of professors at Ravenwood." she murmured. "He's one of the twins, Malistaire, a Master of Death. He's supposedly one of the most powerful Necromancers of our time." The fur on Dairy's back stood up. Malistaire sounded and seemed to be as menacing as his looks presented him to be._

"_As the next school year approaches," the Master of Death continued, "we come here to bring new, troubled students - orphans and troublemakers alike - to our school so that they may form friendships and at last a true family." _

_The dark-robed man went on to explain what Ravenwood was and about the seven schools of magic: Fire, Ice, Storm, Myth, Death, Life, and Balance. It was a speech the two had heard many a time over the years yet they always made their way to the plaza each time to listen. It was a great risk. Should someone from the orphanage they previously lived in recognized them, they would quickly be forced to go to Ravenwood, regardless of if they wanted to or not. _

_They had gotten away with their hidden existence for three years, since these expeditions to Marleybone begun. However, this year there was a particularly large crowd , probably due to the unnaturally and unfortunately many turned orphans that year. Mint and Dairy exchanged a quick glance, feeling their fur fluff out against their will._

_The two sisters snuck away as silently as they came. That night, when the assembly had ended and most had gone to bed, they went out on a hunt, a hunt to pillage a local grocer for food. However, fate was not with them that night, and they were caught by the patrolling officers. Mint had managed to escape, being the larger and stronger of two, but Dairy was forced into submission. She was forced to go to Ravenwood._

* * *

"After her school years did her good, Dairy came back here ta look for Mint, but never found her. That was when Crow took her into the Family." Scarlet hugged herself, suddenly feeling cold. Unlike Dairy, she had no siblings, yet the feeling of separation suddenly came as a fearful thought to her. She didn't much enjoy the description of Malistaire Drake either. A Master of Death? It was a wonder anyone would willing learn the magic of Necromancy in the first place!

"Does she still look for her?" Scarlet asked. "Mint I mean."

Scourge shrugged his lean shoulders. "No idea. Crow might know, if he's ever in the mood to tell ya. Them two are pretty close."

Just as Scarlet was about to ask more questions, specifically about blue-eyed, grey-furred Mint, the sound of someone landing on the rooftop they were on snapped them from the story. The small, lean, brown tabby form of Periwinkle stood there. Despite being ten years Scourge's senior, she stood a full head shorter than him. Her odd, blue-pink eyes sparkled with misplaced authority.

"Ya guys jus' been 'signed for a hunt." She hissed, plumey tail lashing. Scourge's whiskers twitched in amusement. Taking orders didn't come easily to him, especially from the younger members like Periwinkle.

"With who 'n by who?" he asked mischievously. Periwinkle bared her teeth in the beginnings of a snarl, but she didn't argue, knowing better than to quarrel with the mischievous kit. Instead she turned back and made her way back to the hideout. Scourge and Scarlet, after a moment of purring in amusement, followed her more slowly.

That night, Dairy was at her bedside again, tucking her in. Scarlet looked at her with silver eyes brimming with curiosity. "Dairy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" Scarlet suddenly felt like a kit nestled next to a mother, recalling that was exactly what Dairy was to her in the early years of her youth.

"Tell me about Ravenwood n' Mint."

Surprise was evident on Dairy's soft face. Even so, she obliged to the hybrid's wishes and told her about her intelligent sister and her days spent in the esteemed Ravenwood school as a student of Pyromancy.

_***groans* Barely at the 2,000 word mark. Talk about disappointing. Hopefully later chapters will be longer. **_

_**Review Replies:**_

_**'Jestic: I'm...apparently keeping it up better than the other stories. xD Thanks for the kind words, my apprentice! *gives cookie***_

**_Becca Ripple: Thank ya! :D Hopefully the rewritten chapter 1 and this one are a bit better, though. ;)_**

**_Ammaarah: I loved working on Scarlet, so I felt like bringing her back, this time with much improved writing skills compared to le last time. xD Hopefully you find this reboot as equally (if not more) enjoyable! :)_**


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